The Cure
by Y2J1990
Summary: A little male Shep/Miranda romance from Miranda's POV. Events take place towards the end of ME3 and following its conclusion
1. Reboot

Welcome back folks! I'd like to apologize for taking so long to update "The Cure," and for setting deadlines that I clearly didn't meet. I had originally planned on continuing the story from where I left off, but after spending so much time away from the story and having played through the extended cut in Mass Effect 3 (which I would recommend to all of you), I decided to do a bit of a reboot. Though I liked the chapters that I already wrote, and judging by the reviews a lot of you did too, I just didn't feel comfortable continuing in the direction I was headed. Thus, I've removed those chapters and have posted a brand new one, which will serve as the basis for my new vision.

That being said, some of the content from the previous chapters will reappear in future ones and I am still very much committed to continuing and completing this story. It is my goal to frequently update "The Cure" from now until its final chapter, and I hope that you will continue to give me plenty of feedback. Thanks!


	2. New Beginnings

The transport ship drifted quietly through space, and it took all the focus Miranda Lawson had to prevent herself from dozing off in her chair. For six months, she had been running from Cerberus and protecting Oriana from her father, and taking time to sleep had been at the bottom of her list of priorities. Now her body demanded revenge, and Miranda was almost exhausted enough to submit to the fatigue.

But she had to see this through all the way, and until they arrived at their destination, then sleep would just have to wait, much to her body's dismay. She looked over to find Oriana gazing out at the stars, losing herself in the endless field of the galaxy. Miranda doubted that Oriana had ever ventured through space on her own accord; more than likely she was always being dragged reluctantly from one place to the next by her father or by Miranda herself. Maybe one day they could take a trip together. She'd let Oriana pick their destination and they would stay there as long as she liked. _That is, if the galaxy survives this war. _

Miranda had been careful to keep her ship hidden upon arriving at Sanctuary, knowing that saving Oriana would be futile if they didn't have a way to escape afterward. The ship was hardly bigger than the shuttles that were stored on nearly every starship, but it was quiet, hard to detect and capable of withstanding the strain of a jump through a mass relay. In a space battle the ship's armor wouldn't hold up for more than a few seconds, but it was perfect for moving from place to place unnoticed, which was exactly what Miranda had needed.

With the autopilot set in, Miranda went to get up from the cockpit and was greeted with a searing pain in her abdomen. Once she stood, it was her right leg that was screaming in agony. _Damn Kai Lang. Bastard got me good._

Doing her best not to let the pain show on her face, Miranda walked over to the cargo hold in the middle of the shuttle and sat down. She punched in her combination into the keypad and heard a slight click as it unlocked and then slid open. The cargo hold wasn't much more than a small opening in the floor of the shuttle, but there was enough space to fit two equally sized cases, filled with a change of clothes, a few rations of food and water and some medical supplies.

Miranda lifted one of the cases out of the hold and opened it up. "Are you hungry Ori?" Miranda asked. "I can't imagine father kept the fridge well-stocked for you."

Oriana didn't move an inch and her voice was hushed when she spoke. "No thanks. It's been awhile since I've had much of an appetite."

"That's often one of the side effects of a traumatic experience, but it's important to keep your strength up. I insist." Miranda grabbed a granola bar from the case and held it out. Oriana eyed the bar for a moment before taking it from her sister. "Thanks Miri."

Miranda watched as Oriana nibbled slowly at the granola before reaching back into the case for a bottle of water for herself. As she closed the cargo hold and took a small sip from the bottle, Miranda allowed her mind to wander back to her final moments at Sanctuary. The rush of emotions from her final confrontation with her father and the chance encounter with Shepard had been overwhelming for Miranda, and before she was able to fully gather her thoughts he was leaving for the Cerberus base before the trace on Kai Leng went cold. There had barely even been enough time to say goodbye.

'_Promise me you'll be careful,' what an idiotic thing to say. I told him that I couldn't promise that when he asked me, so why did I think he'd respond any differently? _

Ori was finally safe and they didn't have to worry about their father anymore. For Miranda, it was a relief like nothing she had ever experienced, but that relief had quickly given way to fear for Shepard. The only person who knew more about the Cerberus base than Miranda was the Illusive Man himself, so surely she could have told him something, given him some of idea of what to expect and what awaited him. _Perhaps I should've just gone with him. Ori would be safe on the Normandy and anyone who still wanted me dead would probably be at that base anyway, so it's not like I'd be endangering the mission._

But these were dangerous thoughts. Miranda knew it, yet all her years of training to restrain herself from such desires had been failing her for some time now. She wanted to blame it on stress or the war, but she knew better. Ever since she met Shepard, Miranda had felt something awaken inside her, and slowly but surely it made her doubt much of what she had previously stood for, and yearn for that which she had never believed in. More importantly, it was the first time in her life that Miranda thought she had a place in the galaxy, one that valued her for her mistakes as much as her skills and assets. And the more time she spent away from Shepard, the more those feelings of longing overcame her. Miranda could cripple a tank with her biotics or bring a person back from the dead, but she had no idea what to do with love.

But regardless of what her heart was telling her, in her mind Miranda felt she had made the right decision. Thought he honestly believed otherwise, Shepard had never truly needed Miranda's help, not against the Collectors and certainly not now against Cerberus. He worked well with his current crew and had known most of them for years, and removing herself from the picture eliminated a potential distraction for Shepard and would allow him to focus solely on the task at hand. That didn't mean Miranda was just going to sit on the sidelines, which is why they were heading where they were heading. However, many of the people she now sought to help knew her only by her reputation; her Cerberus reputation. What she was planning now was almost as dangerous for her as going with Shepard would've been, but Miranda saw no other alternative. _I hope I know what I'm doing. _

"Miri, I don't like this," Oriana said, her granola bar still mostly untouched. "You said yourself that you thought the Alliance would treat you almost as hostilely as Cerberus if they ever caught you."

"That was before the Alliance began scouring the galaxy for anyone who could help them with the Crucible," Miranda replied in between drinks of water. "Just because they aren't going to roll out the red carpet for us doesn't mean they're going to haul me down to the brig and lock me up. It'll kill them to admit it, but right now I'm a valuable commodity." Miranda gave her sister a sad smile. "Besides, where else are we going to go?"

"The Citadel? I could help with the relief effort there, and I bet that they would let you work at Huerta Memorial. I've heard they're always looking for more volunteers."

"After the coup that Cerberus tried to pull at the Citadel? Going there twice in secrecy was risky enough, and as soon as I revealed myself to C-Sec they would have me in restraints. Or they might just shoot me, depending on how trigger-happy they're feeling." Miranda stood from the floor and did her best to ignore her abdomen, which felt like it was on fire, and sat in the seat next to Oriana. "Ori, listen. You're right, the Alliance isn't very fond of me and this isn't a match made in heaven. I'm not overly thrilled about it either, but you have to trust me on this one. We don't have any other options."

Oriana gave Miranda a thoughtful glance, but wasn't ready to give up just yet. "Alright, but if you're going to volunteer to construct the Crucible, then I want to be with you. I can help you somehow."

_She's as stubborn as I am, and for some reason I thought this was going to be easy. _"I want you with me too, but you know I can't let you do that. No one knows what the Crucible is capable of. It could be the only solution to stopping the Reapers or it could lead to the end of all intelligent life in the galaxy. Either way, it's dangerous Ori and I don't you anywhere near it. When we arrive, I'll find you a shuttle that will take you to one of the civilian shelters."

Oriana's face fell and it was the first time Miranda had ever seen her sister angry. "Well what if I don't want you anywhere near it either? I appreciate that you want me safe but you can't keep taking these huge risks if you're just going to leave me behind. You're the only family I have left you know."

Guilt hit her in spades and Miranda could no longer avoid the subject that she had dreaded. "I'm sorry about your parents on Illium, Ori. I tried to help them but Cerberus reached them before…"

"I don't want you to be sorry," Oriana interrupted. "I'm so sick of people telling me that they're sorry." Her voice cracked and for a moment Miranda thought she was going to start crying, but she took a deep breath and her voice was back to normal. "I might be young, but I'm no child Miranda, and hardship is something I've become quite accustomed to. I know enough about this war to realize that it's going poorly for everyone trying to stop the Reapers, and that it can only get worse before it gets better. I can't tell you how many girls at that horrible place watched father's men transform their sisters into those monsters, and torture their parents for no reason at all.

"My parents on Illium? They're dead Miranda, and I hate father for taking them from me. And I could throw in the towel and bunker down with all of the other broken women and children and wait for you to make everything right again, just like always." Oriana wrapped her hand around Miranda's and held it tight. "But I'm tired of not being in control of my own damn life. These may be the last days humanity has left, and I don't want to spend them with a bunch of scared people that I don't know. I'm staying with you, my sister, regardless of where that takes me."

For that, Miranda had no rebuttal. "You're the only family I have left too, you know. I just don't want to see you get hurt."

"Don't worry," Oriana quipped, a sly smile on her face, "bad things only happen to me when you leave me with someone else."

"Alright. I still don't think it's a good idea, but when we get there we'll figure something out, okay?" Miranda promised. The display near the cockpit began flashing red lights. "Incoming transmission," a synthetic voice announced. "Incoming transmission."

Miranda stood and walked over to the display. Through the windshield, she saw that a dull gray starship had appeared ahead of them, and it was fixed with the familiar blue Alliance logo. She patched the transmission through and was accosted by a demanding female voice.

"Unidentified ship, this is the SSV Charleston. State your business in this sector."

"SSV Charleston, this is Miranda Lawson. I was promised safe harbor on your ship, as well as transportation to the site of Project Crucible. Requesting permission to board."

"Standby for verification." The silence that followed was long and deep.

"She sounds friendly," Oriana said sarcastically, now standing next to Miranda. "Here's what I don't understand; this ship has taken us this far, why don't we just use it to get to the Crucible? Why do we need another ship to take us there?"

"Because I don't where it is," Miranda answered. "The Alliance is terrified that Cerberus or the Reapers will discover its location, and for good reason. Only commanding officers in the Alliance fleet and important individuals from other species know where to find it."

The ship's comm. cracked and the voice returned, as stern as ever. "You're clear Lawson, permission granted. Proceed to the rear hangar. We can't carry your ship though, you'll have to leave it when you board."

"Splendid," Oriana scoffed. "We're going to be on a ship full of Alliance officers who don't trust us and now we won't even have our own way out of there."

Miranda didn't like abandoning their ship either, but she'd been prepared for that to happen. She grabbed two oxygen masks and handed one to Oriana. "Not everyone on that ship hates us," Miranda reassured her. "No matter how the others might feel, my contact put in a good word for us. We'll be okay."

Oriana cocked an eyebrow. "And you're sure you can trust your contact? Remember back on Illium, you said your contact turned on you and almost got us killed."

Miranda bitterly remembered the betrayal. "I was wrong to trust Niket with your life. He was too close to father and didn't understand the situation. This time will be different."

"What if it's a trap?" Oriana asked solemnly. "What if your contact is just luring you here so that he can hand-deliver us Cerberus or the Reapers?"

"I don't think so, but with the rate people are being indoctrinated, I suppose it's a possibility."

Oriana was flabbergasted. "A possibility? Jesus Miranda, if you haven't seen him for awhile how can you know for sure that he's not indoctrinated?"

Miranda didn't want to imagine what it would be like to face a friend who had become a slave to the Reapers, especially not now. Her list of trusted contacts had become dangerously short ever since the war started, not including the ones she lost the moment she left Cerberus, and Oriana was right; trusting anyone that you hadn't had much contact with recently was a calculated risk. But if you were too frightened to place your faith in those who you had fought with and considered friends, then what was the point of fighting this war at all? _It's what Shepard would do. _

"I can't know, not for sure, but no one can make it in this galaxy without help. And right now Ori, we need about all the help we can get."

The Lawson sisters boarded the Charleston and watched as their ship drifted away. When it was no longer in sight, they turned and passed through the airlock and entered the hangar, but as soon as they removed their oxygen masks they were met by five alliance soldiers, all armed with assault rifles. "Stop. Let me see your hands," the soldier closest to them ordered, his determined eyes full of disdain.

"Excuse me?" Miranda asked. "Your flight lieutenant granted us permission to board."

"Aye, that she did," the man agreed, "but I don't recall her granting you permission to wander this ship freely, nor to bring aboard weapons. Set down your cases and put your hands up."

Miranda looked at the pistol she had holstered in her belt. "We mean you no harm soldier. However, you may have noticed that there's a war going in, and I don't feel very comfortable going anywhere without protection. If you lower your weapons, you can search us and our cases as thoroughly as you please, but I'm not giving up my gun."

The man let out a rude little laugh. "You're in no position to be negotiating bitch. I won't ask you again, put your cases down and hand over your pistol, or we'll take it from you. Your choice." The other soldiers kept their guns aimed directly at the two of them."

"Miri, don't," Oriana pleaded. "Just do what he says."

Miranda pretended not to hear her sister's request. "I'd like to see you try."

The man shrugged. "Have it your way. Men, the pretty Cerberus whore wishes to be treated hostilely. Let's be good hosts, shall we?"

The other four soldiers stepped toward them and Miranda already felt the energy pulsating in her arm. "Turn around," the closest soldier ordered, "and put your hands in the air."

_As you wish. _Miranda pushed her arm forward and unleashed a shockwave, knocking four of the men to the ground. The fifth went flying into the wall to his right and hit the ground with a thud, screaming as he landed. Her injured leg almost buckled beneath her from the strain of the attack, but Miranda managed to maintain her balance.

One of the others crawled over to the man who hit the wall and rolled him over. "Jesus, the fucking bitch broke Tony's arm," he gasped.

The head soldier picked up his assault rifle and aimed it back at Miranda again, his finger ready to squeeze the trigger…

"Stand down Sullivan!" a familiar voice ordered. A dark-skinned man came running from behind and placed himself between the soldiers and Miranda. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Fuck you Taylor, I don't take orders from you. That Cerberus bitch just attacked us and broke Tony's arm," Sullivan snarled. "Get out of my way."

"I told you to inform me when they arrived, so I could handle it," Jacob snapped. "These are my passengers Sullivan, and I don't need your assistance in taking care of them. Take Tony to the med-bay and the rest of you go back to your posts."

"Look here Taylor…"

"I said go!" Jacob yelled. "Or do I need to mention in my report to Admiral Hackett that Alliance soldiers were interfering with an official Crucible assignment?"

Sullivan gave the three of them a nasty look and then climbed to his feet. "Fine Taylor, but the Captain will be hearing about this. Let's go men, and for christ sake someone help Tony, or at least shut him up."

The other three soldiers helped lift up Tony, still whimpering and favoring his broken arm, and walked away. Jacob turned to Miranda with a relieved look in his eyes. "You sure know how to stir the pot Miranda. What the hell happened?"

"He asked me for my gun. I refused. One thing led to another," Miranda said bluntly.

Jacob sighed. "Well I'm sorry about Sullivan. He's a little rough around the edges."

"Is that how you would describe him?"

"No I would describe him as an egotistical prick, but he's a good soldier and he was just following procedure. You shouldn't have used your biotics like that Miranda," Jacob scolded.

"He shouldn't have had his men put guns on us then," Miranda shot back.

Jacob chuckled and shook his head. "Still hardheaded as ever I see." He put a hand on Miranda's shoulder and smiled. "It's good to see you again. I had no idea if you were even still alive until you contacted me."

Miranda returned the smile. "You too Jacob. There were a lot of times when I wanted to check in on you and make sure you were okay, but given my situation I had to isolate myself as much as possible. Staying in touch with friends wasn't really an option for me."

"If it makes you feel any better," Oriana added, "she barely stayed in touch with me either."

Jacob shifted his gaze to Oriana and an expression of realization slowly crept over his face. "My god, is this your…"

"Sister?" Miranda finished. "Oriana, I'd like you to meet Jacob Taylor. He and I worked together at Cerberus and were crewmates on the Normandy. Jacob, this is my twin sister Oriana."

Jacob's mouth formed into a huge grin and he extended his hand. "Well I'll be damned. It's a pleasure to see you again Oriana, Miranda's always spoken very fondly of you."

Oriana shook Jacob's hand. "Yes I remember you from Illium. You helped Shepard and Miranda save me from my father's men."

"Sharp memory, you must be Miranda's twin," Jacob complimented. "It's good to see you're safe." He looked over at a young boy cleaning rifles at the workbench to their right. "Hey Alex, would you come here for a second?" The boy scuttled over and wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. "Yes Jacob?" he asked.

"Take Oriana here and these cases to the crew quarters and find a couple of empty beds," Jacob instructed. "Then when you're done, come and find me and we'll do some target practice."

The boy's face lit up like a Christmas tree and he lifted up both cases with surprising ease. "Yes sir," Alex said. "Come on, follow me!" And then he ran off towards the elevator. Oriana looked warily at Miranda.

"Go ahead Ori, I'll catch up with you in a bit," Miranda said. Oriana nodded and then went off to follow Alex. "Target practice Jacob? That boy can't be any older than six or seven."

"Five actually," Jacob revealed. "I wasn't much older than him when my father taught me how to use a gun. Neither were you. Besides, with the whole galaxy going to hell in a hand basket, boys like him have to be able to defend themselves."

"From who, the Reapers or your friend Sullivan?"

"I know you think you have him all figured out, but Sullivan would never do something like that. His brother was stationed on Eden Prime. Cerberus struck there a few weeks ago and Sullivan hasn't heard from him since. Let's just say he's developed a bit of a personal vendetta against Cerberus and their officers, even the former ones." Jacob turned and motioned towards the end of the hangar. "Come on, we should go see the Captain." He started walking that way and Miranda followed.

The hangar was small compared to that of the Normandy, but similarly structured; a transport shuttle was parked off to Miranda's left, just in front of what looked like an updated version of the M35 Mako. Engineers and mechanics were sifting through crates that were stacked to Miranda's right, and for every one that wasn't assembling a weapon, there were at least two or three boxing them up and returning them to the stacks.

"Come to think of it," Jacob continued, "I should've known Sullivan might be the one to lead the landing party for you. Ever since he heard that you were coming here, he's been in kind of a craze. But I don't think he'll be bothering you again."

"He doesn't strike me as a man who knows when he's in over his head," Miranda said, "but perhaps his friend's broken arm will knock some sense into him." _I guess I should've held back a little with that shockwave, but I wasn't about to let anything happen to Ori. _"So what's new Jacob? How have you been holding up?"

They reached the elevator and Jacob pressed the return button. "Well when we broke off from Cerberus, the Alliance approached me about a possible reinstatement. I was tempted, but after being away for so long, I felt tainted from my time with Cerberus."

Miranda frowned. "You turned them down?"

Jacob nodded. "It didn't feel right."

"But then how are you here with the Alliance now?"

Well, the next thing I knew, Brynn told me that she and some of the other scientists were setting up a lab on Gellix, but they were worried what would happen if Cerberus located them. I offered to go along and provide protection for all of them, and until now that's where I was."

"Brynn? You mean Dr. Brynn Cole?" Miranda had worked with the woman on several occasions, and always found her to be very smart and efficient. _Not that she cared very much for me though._

"Yep, quitting Cerberus became a no-brainer for me when I found out she was leaving too, but when she asked me to join her group and I got a chance to learn more about her, it gave my life a new purpose. I've never been happier or felt better about any work I've done in my life."

Miranda instantly caught on. "My my Jacob, sounds like you and the good doctor have become rather close."

Jacob smirked. "You could say that. She's amazing. Everything was fine until the Illusive Man finally tracked us down and sent his hounds in after us. If Shepard and Garrus hadn't shown up out of the blue, I think we would've been done for."

_My lord, is there a person in the galaxy that man hasn't bailed out recently? _"It's good to know our old commander is still looking out for his ex-crewmates."

The elevator arrived and the doors retracted from the middle. "Damn right. I saw him again at the Citadel when I stopped off for supplies. He looked a little weary, maybe a little battered, but he was still holding it all together. I don't know how he does it, and I can't believe he's actually pulling all of this off." Jacob's kind gaze shifted back to Miranda. "Have you two kept in touch?"

"A bit," Miranda replied. "He's kept me up to date on the war."

"Come on Miranda, it's me, there's no need to be coy." Jacob and Miranda stepped in before the doors closed, and Miranda felt the elevator lurch under her feet as Jacob pressed another button.

"It hasn't been easy, what with him having his plate full and Cerberus hot on my tail, but we've met up when we could." Miranda admitted. "Most recently, I tracked Oriana to Horizon where our father was keeping her, and Shepard arrived not too long after I got there. He was hunting down Kai Leng in an attempt to try and locate the Cerberus Base."

"I heard something about that," Jacob said, his eyes suddenly focused and intense. "Kai Leng. I saw what his forces did to the Citadel. God knows how many innocent people they killed, and they got Thane too."

Miranda nodded. "Leng killed him when he was trying to protect the Salarian Councilor."

Jacob sighed. "I've never liked assassins, but that drell grew on me. Something about how he tried to make things right with his son, it just resonated with me. And he was a brave son of a bitch, stuck with us to the end and helped take out the Collectors. I respected the hell out of him.

"I know Jacob, I did too," Miranda said quietly. "Kolyat, his son, he was with him at the hospital after the attack, to donate blood, but the wound combined with the Kepral's Syndrome… It was too much."

Jacob gave Miranda a hard stare. "Someday that coward is going to get what's coming to him. Did he hurt you? I couldn't help but notice your limp when you came in."

"He took a shot at me, but once he stole the data he wanted from my father he left in a hurry," Miranda explained, her stomach and leg throbbing more than ever.

"Well let's just hope Shepard can find that base before Cerberus makes an even bigger mess of things."

"He will." Miranda felt her mind wandering again and didn't even attempt to shut out the feelings as they all came rushing back. "I'm worried, Jacob. No one's ever attempted to infiltrate that base before. It's a suicide mission."

"That's the only kind of mission Shepard knows," Jacob joked. "If anyone can get it done, it's him."

"Yes, and then after that he'll only have the damn Reapers to worry about. That will be much better," Miranda said bitterly. The elevator squeaked as it came to an abrupt halt and the doors opened, revealing the ship's bridge and galaxy map. About a dozen navigators were arguing loudly amongst themselves, with one man going over charts on his personal computer. _That must be the Captain. _

"Follow me," Jacob said. They walked over to the man and Jacob saluted. "Captain Wolfe?"

Wolfe turned to face the two of them with a steely glare. His wispy gray hair was a mess, as if it had never encountered a comb before. A long scar ran from his forehead, past his left eye and all the way to the bottom of his pale white cheek, which Miranda assumed was why a black eye patch covered his left eye. "At ease Taylor," he commanded in a gruff voice, then looked Miranda right in the eye. "So this is the famous Cerberus officer?"

"Former Cerberus officer," Jacob corrected. "Captain Wolfe, this is Miranda Lawson. Miranda, allow me to introduce Captain Eric Wolfe, the commanding officer of the SSV Charleston."

Wolfe still had his attention fixed upon Miranda, so she hadn't looked away either. "It's nice to meet you Captain. You have my gratitude for allowing my sister and I transport on your ship."

Wolfe's glare didn't change a bit. "And attacking my men, deliberately defying this ship's protocol and breaking Private Luciano's arm, is that your way of expressing your gratitude Ms. Lawson?"

"I apologize for that little scuffle, but I'm very protective of my sister Captain," Miranda explained, "and your men had guns on us from the moment we boarded."

"Yes, as I commanded them to," Wolfe admitted. "In my experience, it's unwise to not take extra precautions when dealing with agents of Cerberus, past or present."

"Sullivan was out of control Captain," Jacob protested. "Maybe Miranda violated protocol, but she was just defending herself. Sullivan wanted blood, he could've gotten someone killed."

"Perhaps Sergeant Sullivan was a tad overeager to confront our Cerberus passengers, but he was still acting under my command, and as you know Taylor, a passenger who attacks a crewmember on an Alliance ship is committing treason."

Miranda could see where this was going and sought for a quick resolution. "I've already apologized for my actions Captain. There won't be any more incidents while my sister and I are aboard. You have my word."

Wolfe looked amused at what he heard. "Your word? Lawson, your word carries about as much weight with me as a can full of Vorcha piss."

"Captain, there's no need for this," Jacob reasoned. "Miranda and her sister are under my supervision. I promise they won't be any trouble to you, and I believe my word does carry a bit of weight with you, sir."

"I hope for your sake you're right Taylor, because it's your ass on the line here," Wolfe threatened. "Let's be clear on one thing Lawson; you're a passenger on this ship and so long as you don't get out of line again, you and your sister will be treated civilly. However, I can't risk you causing any more problems, which is why you'll be confined to the crew quarters for the entirety of your stay. An armed guard will escort you to the mess hall for meals and to the bathroom, when required."

"Captain, I hardly think that's necessary…" Jacob cut in.

"Did I ask you for your opinion Taylor?" Wolfe snapped. "Ms. Lawson and her sister will obey my ship's rules or they can find another one to take them to the Crucible. Do I make myself clear?"

Miranda stared at the man coldly. "Crystal."

"Goodie. Taylor, show Ms. Lawson to the crew quarters, and see to it that she doesn't assault any more of my men along the way." He gave Miranda a curt smile and then turned back to his computer.

"Come on Miranda." Jacob nudged Miranda toward the elevator and they got back in. When the doors closed and Miranda felt it lurch once more, he broke the silence between them. "Well that went well."

"Oh Jacob, I can't understand why you didn't want to rejoin the Alliance," Miranda teased. "It's full of so many charming individuals."

Jacob snorted. "Let me put it this way; if I find myself in a battle before this is over, there aren't many crews I'd rather be stuck in the trenches with, but I don't think Brynn and I will be inviting any of them over for dinner anytime soon."

**First off, I'd like to thank fellow writer commandocucumber for giving me the idea to do these chapter recaps. I started this chapter ages ago but it took me awhile to get it right. We didn't get to know Oriana very well in the games, but I always thought of her as a strong female character, much like her sister, and so she is portrayed as such here. I thought this also provided a good explanation as to how exactly Miranda made her way to the Crucible, and I loved involving Jacob in that process, especially since they didn't have any scenes together in ME3. Wolfe and Sullivan were a lot of fun to write and I'm definitely going to create more original characters as I go along. **


End file.
